Butternut Squash with Sage

My friend made this soup for me at his house earlier this month. It was so good that I got the recipe and have been making it myself. Check it out and give it a try..

1 large butternut squash, about 3 pounds, halved, seeds removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, plus 12 whole leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram
6 cups light chicken stock or broth
1 teaspoon cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream, or more to taste
2 tablespoons butterPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly coat the squash halves with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Season the inside with salt and pepper and place cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until very tender, about 45 minutes. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and reserve. Discard the peel.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil and, when hot but not smoking, add the sausage. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until the onions wilted and starting to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, sage and marjoram, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked squash and chicken stock, stir well to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender, puree the soup. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Add the cider vinegar and stir to combine. Add the cream and adjust seasoning, to taste.

In a small saute pan, cook the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to turn brown around the edges. Add the whole sage leaves and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the leaves to paper towels to drain.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the crispy sage leaves.

Chocolate-Filled Monkey Bread

I have told you about the recipe book 'Chocolate American Style' by Lora Brody, well I have been experimenting with a few of her recipes. I tried this one this weekend and I really liked it. The bread was sweet and the chocolate was oh so good.

For the dough:
4 1/2 cups (22.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) sugar
3 tablespoons Dough Relaxer (optional) for a softer crumb and crust - I didn't use this b/c I didn't have it, but if you have if, use it.
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 extra large eggs
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup warm water

Stand Mixer Method
Place the flour, sugar, dough relaxer (if using), yeast, salt, eggs, water, and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead on low speed until a ball starts to form, then increase the speed to medium and knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to form a soft supple ball of dough. Turn off the mixer, remove the dough hook, leave the dough in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough, re-cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and as long as 24 hours.

To assemble the load or loaves

Unsalted butter for preparing the pan
25 - 30 1/2 oz pieced of milk chocolate preferable in 1 inch squares
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (I only used a few tablespoons, it calls to dip the balls in butter, but I only brushed a little butter on them)
1/2 cup sugar

Coat a 10x5x3-inch loaf pan (or a similar pan with an 8-cup capacity, such as a angel food pan) with butter. Gently deflate the risen, refrigerated dough without kneading it -this will keep it relaxed and easy to roll. Place it on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a 1/4-inch-thick circle. Use a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter and cut out 25 to 30 circles of dough, re-rolling and cutting any scraps. Place a piece of chocolate in the center of each circle. Paint the edges of the dough with a little water, then gently stretch and mold the dough around the chocolate to enclose it. Pinch the edges together to form a neat package. Dip each ball into the melted butter and then roll it in the sugar before placing it seam down in the bottom of the pan. Make two rows, then a second layer of two rows resting on the spaces between the bottom pieces. Place any leftover balls of dough on top to make a third layer. Drizzle any remaining melted butter over the balls of dough and sprinkle on any remaining sugar. Let the loaf rise, uncovered at room temperature for 30 -40 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk.Preheat to oven to 375 F. with the rack in the center position. Bake the bread for 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 200 F. It's essential to bake this bread long enough for the insides to be throughly cooked, so if the top starts getting too bark before the cooking time is done, tent the pan loosely with foil.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 10 minutes on a cake rack before unmolding. Serve warm or a room temperature. This bread is best enjoyed the day it's baked.
The next day if you have leftovers I put some balls in a bowl of milk and ate it that way.

Enjoy!

Oranges + Chocolate = Lasting Joy and Happiness

Oranges are coming around and they are almost in season. When I think of Christmas smells I always think of Oranges. I grew up in California and in our backyard we had 3 orange trees. They are really beautiful orange trees with huge delicious oranges. On Christmas morning in our stockings each of us would get an orange. I would usually eat mine in the morning and go out to pick more (On Christmas morning I had a lot of time to kill since I would wake up at 6am with my sister). I remember the cold wet grass beneath my feet, the moss under the orange tree, and how wet my arm would get from the dew or rain when I would reach in to pick the fruit of my choice. With confidence I would say Oranges are one of my favorite fruits. You can imagine how excited I was to find 2 orange chocolate recipes, using the entire orange. The first one comes from my friend Meridith...who loves candy like any true addict. I will direct you to her blog for the first recipe.

Orangette
This recipe was very good...surprisingly good. I thought it would be more tart, but it was really sweet and the texture was very inviting.

The second recipe comes from this new recipe book I am reading...yes I read recipe book...it's my vice leave it alone. The Book is Chocolate American Style by Lora Brody.

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices

1 pound bittersweet chocolate tempered (you can probably google how to temper chocolate, but if you aren't worried about them looking perfect I would just melt the chocolate in the microwave making sure not to over melt them...then you would burn them...then you would have to start all over)
I only use Ghirardelli chocolate, again that is just a shout out to my homeland.

4 navel oranges, divided into segments, white membrane pulled off

Remember water and chocolate do not mix so try to keep the oranges very dry even from their own juices. I would place the segments on a paper towel.

This is a time when the quality of the orange is key - you want the most flavorful, juiciest, seedless oranges that you can find, the ones that can easily be pulled apart into segments.

Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper. Pour and scrape the chocolate into a shallow bowl. Working with one orange segment at a time, drop in into the chocolate, then use a fork to carefully turn it over so that it is completely coated in chocolate.

Use the fork to remove the segment, tap it lightly on the rim of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining segments, working fast so that the chocolate doesn't harden. You might want to keep the bowl on a heating pad turned low to keep the chocolate fluid.

Refrigerate the segments until the chocolate hardens. You can serve them right from the refrigerator but I think they are best at room temperature.

These should be eaten within 12 hours of making them.

Makes about 48 slices.

Chocolate Amaretti Cake

If you like chocolate, oranges and almonds you will love this little slice of heaven.

Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup baby amaretti cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
4 large eggs
About 2 Tablespoons unsweetened coca powder, for sifting

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pans with nonstick spray and refrigerate.

In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate ships, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the almonds and cookies, and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Add the butter, sugar, and orange zest to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time. Add the nut mixture and the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake until the center puffs
and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter, sift the cocoa powder over , and serve

Chai Time

I love Chai tea but since I don't drink caffeinated tea I have given up Chai tea for about 7 years or so...until now. I found a recipe for Chai tea...it was in my Yoga Journal Magazine and this way I can omit the tea. This is what it says; To get toasty on a chilly day, start from the inside out, with warm well-spiced food and drink that stoke your angi, or digestive fire.

To make an angi-enhancing herbal version you can sip all day, follow steps 1 and 2, reheat, and strain, adding extra hot water as necessary. For a rich and heavenly pick-me-up, follow steps 3, 4, and 5 to add the milk, black tea, and sweetener.

1. To make 1 quart of chai, grind in a spice grinder:
1 1/2 t Coriander seeds
3 T fresh cardamom pods

2. Bring to a boil, then let sit overnight:
2 C water
1/3 c ginger finely chopped
1/2 t black peppercorns
the ground cardamom and coriander
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 dash allspice
3/4 t licorice root (optional)

3. Add 3 cups of milk and carefully bring to a low boil, stirring continuously so as not to scorch it.

4. Add 2 or 3 Tablespoons good-quality black tea and simmer for 5 minutes

5. Strain and sweeten to taste with 2 to 3 1/2 Tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or sugar.

Enjoy!!!